Latest education updates from around the world
How to Get in the Flow
In a world in which there is no shortage of digital distractions it can be hard to get into the flow of working a project, studying, or simply sitting and thinking for a while. That’s why I like what Engageable is trying to do, why I appreciate the work of Cal Newport, and why I was happy to see a new TED-Ed video about entering a state of flow.
TED-Ed’s new lesson, How to Enter Flow State, explains why it can be difficult to enter a flow state, […]
20 Team Building Activities for Kids
Through the many years I spent teaching in class, I come to discover and appreciate the sheer power and potential that a group of children can unlock when they come together as a team. However, team building doesn’t happen by accident; it’s an art that needs to be thoughtfully cultivated.
One of the most effective ways to cultivate this essential skill is through team-building activities. These activities are more than just games or diversions. They are carefully designed exercises that engage children, challenging them to negotiate, collaborate, and solve problems together.
In this post, I’m delighted to share a […]
Co-op Shooter ‘Crossfire: Sierra Squad’ Launches on PSVR 2 & PC VR in August, Trailer Here
Smilegate announced that the Crossfire universe’s first VR game, Crossfire: Sierra Squad, is coming to PSVR 2 and SteamVR headsets next month.
Launching on August 29th, Crossfire: Sierra Squad promises both a 13-mission solo campaign and a number of co-op modes, which includes 50 squad campaign missions for both single and two-player co-op, and a Horde Mode for up to four-player co-op.
The studio says there are 39 types of weapons at your disposal, including pistols, rifles, grenades and sniper rifles—more than enough ways to dispatch the game’s 17 different types of enemies.
Here’s how Smilegate describes the action:
In Crossfire: Sierra […]
Introduction to Classwork in Microsoft Teams
Teachers who use Microsoft Teams will have a convenient new feature to use this fall. That feature is called Classwork and it will enable you to create modules of resources drawn from assignments and OneNote notebook pages as well as web links, files, and Microsoft Forms quizzes.
Last month at the ISTE conference I saw some live demonstrations of Microsoft Teams Classwork. It does seem to be relatively easy to use and is welcome improvement over the old ways of trying to organize materials for students in Teams.
Mike Tholfsen recently published an overview of how to use […]
Math, Calories, and Copyright – The Week in Review
Good morning from Maine where the sun is rising over what should be a nice summer day to play outside. We’re going to ride bikes and play outside at a friend’s birthday party. I hope that you do something equally fun this weekend.
15 Creative Back to School Gifts for Kids
As we approach this exciting time of the year, I’m here to share with you a meticulously curated list of unique back to school gifts for kids. This is no ordinary list — each item was selected after hours of comprehensive research, sifting through countless product reviews, and reflecting upon my extensive classroom experience. Moreover, the suggestions from my esteemed colleagues were instrumental in the formation of this selection.
When it comes to learning, we know that each child is unique. Therefore, our list caters to various interests and age groups. Whether you’re seeking something to enhance creativity, spark […]
‘Among Us VR’ Gets New Polus Point Map, Trailer Here
Among Us VR (2022), the standalone VR version of the hit party game, just got a new map called Polus Point.
Just in time for mass heat waves comes Polus Point, a decidedly chilly (and sometimes hot) addition to Among Us VR.
The studios say the new map includes over 50% more tasks, including a contraption called ‘THE CLAW’, nine new rooms for hidden objects, new kill and ejection animations, and snowstorms. And lava?
Among Us VR is also getting exclusive hat releases, with five free hats launching with the Polus Point map alongside a new ‘Polus Point Picks’ hat pack […]
International Edtech Trends
The latest international edtech trends, from AI to online learning and more
Something Fun I Learned About Myself Through Google Alerts
Like any good digital citizen I have Google Alerts set up for my name and related spellings of my name. Over the years I’ve learned through Google Alerts that there are karate experts, children’s authors, voice coaches, and theater critics who are also named Richard Byrne. A few years ago through Google Alerts, I made a discovery about “myself.” That discovery is that I was once a professional wrestler who lost a match to King Kong Bundy.
In the summary of Google Alerts that I received there was a link to
Journey to Mars – A Collection of Resources for Teaching and Learning About Mars
Earlier this year SciShow Kids published a series of four videos all about Mars. To wrap-up that series SciShow Kids recently published a compilation of all of those videos in one video titled Journey to Mars. I’ve embedded that video below.
50 Fun and Engaging Get to Know You Questions for Kids
Get to Know You Questions for Kids is the topic of our post today!
As an educator, I’ve always believed in the power of connection. It’s the foundation for a fruitful learning journey, where each child feels seen, heard, and understood. That’s why as we embark on another exciting school year, I wanted to share a special resource to kick-start the conversation in your classrooms and homes.
We all remember those first day jitters—new teachers, new classmates, and a whole new set of adventures. It can be equally thrilling and daunting. The key to easing this transition and creating a […]
Meta’s XR Revenue Down 39% “due to lower Quest 2 sales,” as Quest 3 & Vision Pro Loom
Meta’s latest quarterly results show its Reality Labs XR division is again reporting an operating loss just south of $4 billion. Now, for its Q2 2023 results, the company says Reality Labs’ revenue was down by 39% due to lower Quest 2 sales, making for the worst quarterly performance in the past two years.
Meta has been clear about its plan to spend aggressively on XR over the next several years, so it’s again no surprise we’re seeing operating budgets in the billions with only a fraction of that coming back in via Quest 2 hardware and software sales.
In […]
What is Quill and How Can It Be Used for Teaching? Tips & Tricks
Quill is a digital tool designed to help students with reading, writing and comprehension.
Try the Pairs Math Game in Your Library or Classroom
The Pairs Math Game is a free game developed by Phil Shapiro. Phil is a teacher and librarian who developed the game to be played in many settings including libraries and classrooms. The Pairs Math Game is a game that you print for students to play. To help you do that, Phil provides PDF versions in a few sizes for you to download.
The concept of the Pairs Math Game is to have students pick two numbers from columns in a grid to add up to 100. Phil also provides some suggestions on how […]
An Old Car Math Problem
A couple of weeks ago I worked at a car show near my home. One of the many vehicles on display was a 1903 Oldsmobile. A copy of the original advertisement for that vehicle was also on display. The image that you see above is cropped from a picture that I took of the advertisement and some other associated literature.
What stood out to me about the advertisement was “It Costs 3/8 of a Cent a Mile to travel in the Oldsmobile.” Immediately, my mind went to thinking about fun math problems that could […]
[Industry Direct] Trailblazing VR/XR Application Development: Varjo’s Developer Discount Program and Cutting-Edge Features
Industry Direct by Varjo
Industry Direct is our program for sponsors who want to speak directly to the Road to VR newsletter audience. Industry Direct posts are written by sponsors with no involvement from the Road to VR editorial team. Links to these posts appear only in our newsletter and do not intermix with our on-site editorial feed. Industry Direct sponsors help make Road to VR possible.
As VR/XR technologies evolve, developing immersive applications is becoming significantly more feasible and filled with new possibilities. There has never been more opportunity for pioneering new content and solutions that can significantly contribute […]
Meta Releases Anti-piracy Tools for Quest Devs, Including Hardware-based App Bans & More
Meta announced it’s introducing new anti-piracy measures for Quest developers that the company says will protect VR apps from “unauthorized modifications and potential security breaches.”
Called the Platform Integrity Attestation API (Attestation API), Meta says its new system is designed to detect whether an app’s server is interacting with an untampered VR device, thereby ensuring whether an app is authentic or not.
The Attestation API includes things like secure device authentication, hardware-based app bans, protection of financial and enterprise app data, prevention of external data misuse, and other anti-piracy measures.
In a developer blogpost, Meta calls it “increasingly […]
VR Education App ‘Human Anatomy’ Now Available on PSVR 2
The PlayStation Store has a growing number of games built specifically (or optimized) for PSVR 2, although there aren’t a ton of educational apps yet that you might use to get a better understanding of complex subjects like the human body. Now the creators of Human Anatomy VR have released their medical educational tool on PSVR 2.
Initially released on the original PSVR and Quest 2, the PSVR 2 app includes both high school and University-level content. High school content is simplified for “anybody who is curious about the human body,” while University-level content includes detailed 3D models and info that developers
TeachMeet Online – A Free Conference Coming Soon
I went to my first TeachMeet event in London about ten years ago. It was a ton of fun and I learned a lot from the experience. My Google Photos album from that trip is full of fun memories including seeing Russel Tarr’s ClassTools spinner wheel being used to keep order over the proceedings. Over the years TeachMeet events have popped up all over the world including in online formats.
TeachMeet New Jersey is coming up on August 10th. You don’t have to be a teacher in New Jersey in order […]
She Pretended to Be a Teacher as a Kid, Now She’s Helping Educators Incorporate Blended Learning
Teaching blended learning to other educators is the latest step of Sherri Powell’s lifelong education journey
Five Wolfram Alpha Tutorials for Teachers
Yesterday afternoon I published a new video and post on Ed Tech Fitness. The video and post were about using Wolfram Alpha to create personalized estimates of calories burned by doing a variety of activities like hiking, running, swimming, and even playing lawn games.
Writing that post on Ed Tech Fitness was the inspiration for this post about uses of Wolfram Alpha that you might be overlooking. Wolfram Alpha is best known as a computation search engine that students can use to get help with math and science […]
How to Download Google Maps
Summer is not over (at least not in the Northern Hemisphere). There’s still time before school starts again to go for a hike in a place or ride your bike somewhere you’ve never been before. But doing that can be a little intimidating if you don’t know where exactly you’re going.
Most of us rely on mobile phone apps to navigate in new places. But that doesn’t always work as well as expected. That’s especially true in areas that have poor mobile phone service. Fortunately, Google Maps can now be downloaded to your phone for offline use.
In […]
20 Engaging Ice Breaker Activities for Elementary Students
Ice breaker activities for elementary students is the topic of our post today!
As a former teacher and a current educator, I’ve always been passionate about creating an environment that encourages children to open up and build strong bonds with each other. I firmly believe that the foundation of a great learning experience is rooted in the connections we form, not just with the material we are learning, but also with each other.
Over the years, I’ve implemented numerous icebreaker activities in my own classroom, witnessing firsthand the profound impact they have in breaking down walls […]
These Old Commercials are Grrreat!
The Internet Archive is a great place to find all kinds of old media that is either in the public domain or is available for use through Creative Commons licensing. For example, I recently shared a collection of thousands of LEGO guides available on the Internet Archive. Another example that I’ve recently discovered is a huge collection of old television commercials.
The Internet Archive’s Classic T.V. Commercials collection contains more than 17,000 old commercials dating back to the 1950s! They’re all available to view online and most are available to download […]
Planning and Preparation Best Practices for Phys Ed
A couple of weeks ago I shared the news about the updated version of OPEN Phys Ed. Just because the site has been redesigned, that doesn’t mean your favorite older resources have gone away. As a case in point, take a look at the Tools for Planning & Preparation Best Practices page.
Tools for Planning & Preparation Best Practices on OPEN Phys Ed include 40 week curriculum maps for K-8 and 20 week curriculum maps for high school. Additionally, you’ll find curriculum analysis guides to use with your existing […]